House Dem: I won't vote for $33 billion in cuts

Top officials on both sides of the aisle have insisted that a shutdown needs to be avoided, with the president saying Friday such an event would imperil the economy’s recovery.

For his part, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Friday that “there are a lot of problems with the idea of shutting the government down,” while also stressing that Republicans and Democrats have yet to reach a deal on 2011 spending levels.

But Moran’s comments also illustrate the divide between the two party’s bases. At a Tea Party rally on Thursday, for instance, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) signaled that $33 billion in cuts would be insufficient, and pressed for the full $61 billion in cuts the House passed in February.

Congress has already passed $10 billion in cuts in recent weeks, meaning that an additional $23 billion in spending decreases would need to be found to hit the target floated by the White House and Senate Democrats.

Moran, who was in Congress when the government shut down during the Clinton administration, indicated Friday that the $33 billion in cuts would probably be necessary to prevent a sequel — not that he was terribly happy about that.

“I’m finding it more and more likely the White House is willing to be rolled on this,” the Virginia Democrat said.